JWT turns to Oscar nominee for Listerine campaign

Produces short online film and app for J&J's mouthwash brand

A short online by Oscar-nominated director Lucy Walker and a Smile Detector app are part of the J. Walter Thompson's campaign for Johnson & Johnson's latest mouthwash brand.

Walker's 'Feel Every Smile' film for Listerine's Advance White shows four blind people discussing what smiles mean to them.

They are then given the J. Walter Thompson-designed Smile Detector app, which tells them when someone is smiling at them and the film, described by the agency as 'beautifully emotional', captures their reactions.

J. Walter Thompson's PR manager Claire Charruau told PMLiVE: “The campaign sees the Listerine marketing strategy brought to life, and is designed to deliver something completely different in a toothpaste category filled with clichés, people in white coats and medical messaging.”

The mobile app was created with the help of the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) and will be available on both iOS and Android.

It uses facial recognition technology and a camera phone to detect a smile up to five metres away and then notifies the user with audio (a beep) or vibration.

The idea for both the app and film came from J .Walter Thompson creative team Will Helm and Will Brookwell.

The film is part of Listerine's 'Power of a smile' campaign, which 'looks to explore how blind people experience smiles and shows through their partial absence just how powerful they can be'.

Alice Lovell, J&J's brand manager Listerine UK & Ireland, said: “The campaign champions the power of a smile and the idea that smiles really do have an effect on those around you. We wanted to take that belief and use it to have a positive impact on people's lives. ”